Potato-cutter.



J. A. OUMMINGS.

POTATO CUTTER.

APPLICATION PIL-ED MAY 5, 1914.

l, 1 1 8,928. Patented Dem, 1914.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@mi/bueno@ J. A. CUMMINGS.

POTATO GUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1914.

l Patented Dec. 1, 191/1 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. A. CUMMINGS.

POTATO GUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5, 1914.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT onirica.

JOHN A. CUMMINGS, 0F BANGOR, MAINE.

POTATO-CUTTER.

Application mea may 5, 1914. serial No. 836,504.

To all 'whom 'it may concern." .V

Be it known that I, JOHN A. CUMiuINGs, a citizen of the United States, residlng at Bangor, in the county of Penobscot and State of Maine, have invented'a new and useful Improvement in Potato-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to' a device'for cutting seed potatoes, and includes means for feeding the potatoes one at a time to the putters, and also means for regulating such eed.

The invention consists of the novel. features of construction hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a side elevation partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, partly .broken away. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig 1. Fig. 4: is a vertical section taken through a plunger frame' and a portion of one of the feed chutes. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5. of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail transverse section through the feed chutes. Fig. 7 is a plan view .of one of the cutters, a table top being broken away. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a modified form of hopper. Fi 9 is a detail view partly 1n section of a liniy construction. Figs. l0 and 11 are plan 'views of modified forms of cutters.

1n the drawingsl` represents a` suitable table and adjacent one end of the table and elevated'above the .same is a suitable bin 2 into which the potatoes to be cutl are thrown. From said bin the potatoes pass into feed chutes 3 which in the present oase are twoin number. These chutes discharge the potatoes onel at a time into suitable hoppers4,-which hoppers register ,with suitable cutters 5 inserted in suitable openings in the table 1. These cutters register in a discharge spout 6 throughwhich the. ,cut pieces are carried to a suitable receiving box 7. Arranged adjacent the hoppers is a plunger frame 8 in which works suitable plungers 9 which enter the hoppers and force the potatoes through the cutting devices.

The parts above enumerated constitute the .main elements of the device and the details of construction of each of these parts are to be described separately. v

The bin 2 inclines downwardly toward .the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.l

table l and is and with a central V-shaped .deiector l0, which extends centrally and longitudinally along the bottom of the bin. Upon opposite sides of this defiector are'arranged boards 11, which form movable bot tom portions of the bin. These boards may be of any desired length and are hinged in any suitable manner, not shown, per ends. At their lower ends they are pivotally secured to suitable wires 12, which extend convergingly down the chutes 3 and are passed through suitable openings 13 in the bottom of the chutes.

Suitable means to be described hereafter are employed for the purpose of giving the boards 11 a vertical shaking movement, which movement is of course imparted to the converging wires 12. A suitable transverse board 14 extends across the bin 2 and is vertically adjustable so as to regulate feed of potatoes from the bin to the chutes. The

at their upchutes -3 are spaced slightly apart and are semi-cylindrical and each chute alines with one of the boards 11.` Owing to their cross sectional shape the potatoes will travel down said chutes in single file, the curving of the side walls of the chute serving to prevent one potato from rolling past another. Shaking of the wires 12 in connection with the inclination of the chutes serve to' keep the potatoes -moving Immediately below the openings 13 each chuteis provided with a number of longitudinal slots 15, preferably j selves holding back the adjacent potatoes.

As the ejectors retract through the slots the second potato is permitted in each chute to pass down to the stops to be in turn thrown over them. iVhen the potatoes are thrown over the stops they fall into the hoppers 4, one of which is arranged at the lower end of each chute. Working in the plunger frame 8 is a cross head 18. The frame 8 is secured to the table 1 by means of suitable verticallyarranged bolts 19, andthe end members 'of the cross 4head are grooved to slideI upon these bolts whichserve as guiderods 4for the cross-head as Well as for a means of securing the frame 8 to the table.

The cross head 18 carries thel plungers 9.- In order to center each potato wlth respect to the hoppers 4 radially vand downwardly extending springs 20 are arranged 1n the hoppers, the lungers 9 passing between the inner ends o these springs and .the potato then falls upon the cutter 5, which consists merely of a ring provided with suitable diametrically arranged Acutting blades 21. These blades may be arranged as shown in Figs. 7,-10-11 to cut the potatoes into two or three or four pieces, the number and arrangement of the blades being immaterial. In. Fig. 8 I have shown a skeleton hopper 4:* as the exact'form of saidhopper is a so immaterial. l f

In order to operateA the parts to be mentioned I employ a wheel 22 provided with an operating handle 23, and said wheel is mounted upon a shaft 24 journaled in suitable bearings 25 mounted upon the table 1.

The inner end of the shaft is angled land provided with a wrist pin 26 to which is,

connected a vertically arranged operating rod 27, said rod passing loosely through the table. This rod is loosely connected to a pivoted yoke 28 supported from the table legs l, and a bar 29 which is secured at one end to the yoke has pivotally connected to its free end a rod 30, the upper end of which is connected to the cross-head 18. By this means a reciprocating movement is imparted to the plungers 9.

Reference has heretofore been made to wire loops or brackets, which work through the slots 15, and form ejectors for ejecting the potatoes over the stops 16 and thence from the chutes. These ejecting devices as shown in Fig. 6 are carried by blocks 31, threev being placed upon each block, and said blocks are suitably supported by a bracket 32 which bracket is carried by a bar 33 pivotally connected to the lower end of the bin 2. In a bracket 34: carried by the table is a walking beam 35 movement of which is limited by an adjustable screw 36 and one end of said beam is connected by a link 37 vto the bar 33. The opposite end is bifurcated and straddles the plunger operating rod 30 and is engaged by a trip 38 carried by the rod 30, so that by this means the ejectors are operated in unison with the downward movement of the plungers, so

that as the plungers lift there is always a potato ready to fall into the hoppers beneath said plungers and in posit1on to be struck by them as they again descend.

To impart a rocking movement to the boards 11 a bar 39 `is also pivotallyconnected to the wrist pin 26 `at one end and the opposite end is adg'ustably connected to the rod 4:0 journaled a depending gortionk'o said rod carrying suitable beneath the in,

'trips or knockers 41.

What I claim is prising a bin, a chute leading from said bin,

a hopper inalinement with said chute, a

discharge spout leading from vsaid hop er, knives arrangedlwithin thev hopper, a fimger adapted to enter vsaid hopper an cooperate with said lmive's, means for operating said plunger, a stop arranged in the chute and means working inthe chute for throwing the potatoes one at a time over said stop, said last mentioned means being operatively connected to the plunger.

2. The combination Awith a potato cutting mechanism a bin having sloping sides, a

` vertically movablebottoma discharge chute leading from the bin to the cutting mechanlsm, converging wires loosely connected at yone end to the movable bottom of the bin and extending longitudinally down said chute, said chute being slotted adjacent the free ends of said wires, a stop arranged in the chute adjacent said slots, and potato ejectin means working through said slots an adapted to throw the potatoes one at -a time over said stop and into .said cutting mechanism. f

3. In a device of the-kind described a bin 1. A device of the kind described colnhaving sloping sides, the bottom of the vbin being longitudinally movable, tripping means for imparting a rocking up and down movement to said bin bottom, a chute in alinement with said movable bottom, said chute being semi-cylindrical and having a plurality of slots adjacent its lower end and having openings in advance of said slots, a

stop arranged 1n said chute immediately -below said slots, wires pivotally connected to the 'movable bottom of the bin, and extending longitudinally down said chute and passing loosely through the openings in the chute, a cutting mechanism arranged adjacent the lower end of the chute, a plunger y chutes below said slots, a cutting mechanism arranged in alinement with each chute, a vertically movablecross head, lungers carried bysaid cross-head, and a apted to oo operate with the cutting mechanism, a rod cross head-operating rod and adapted to connected to said cross-head, ejectors engage the second mentioned bar. adapted to operate through said slots, and

T throw the potatoes over said stops, a piv- JOHN A' CUMMIBGS' 5 oted bar supportlng said ejectors, a 'sec- Witnesses:

ond pivoted bar, a link connecting the two HORACE F. GREEN,

bars und a tripping means carried by the PATRICK H. DUNN. 

